Improvement in horse-detachers



W. 0. RESPESS & I. L. LUMLEY. HoRsE-DETAcHERs.

No. 195.534, Patented sept.z5.1s77.

WiTNEEEEE MPEFERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. wASmNGToN. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM O. RESPESS AND JAMES L. LUMLEY, OF BATH, NORTH `CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE-DETACHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,534., dated September 25, 1877; application iled August 28, 1877.

To aLl whom it may concern Be it known that We, W. 0. RESPESS and JAMES L. LUMLEY, of Bath, in the county of Beaufort and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Device for Detaching Horses; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in detaching horses from vehicles; and it consists in a box for holding the thill at each end of the axle-tree, and a cord attached to clasps which hold the box closed until the cord is pulled, when thI clasp is released from the end of the box, and the thills are pulled out by the horse, so as to detach himself from the vehicle, as will be described hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings represent our invention.

a represents the front axle-tree, near each end of which is secured a box, b, which is covered by a hinged cover, c. In the top oi' the box is made a recess, corresponding to the shape of the thill-irons d, which irons are prevented from being drawn out of the box by means of the cover. [n order to hold the cover down securely upon the top of the thilliron, and thus prevent it from coming out until it is desired that it should do so, a clasp, g, is slipped over the end of the box and the end of the cover, as shown. In order to hold this clasp in position, and yet allow it to be drawn off whenever it is desired to release the thills, a spring, t', is secured to the top of the cover and passes through or into a slot in the clasp. This spring holds the clasp securely in position to prevent it from accidentally coming oiI, and yet will allow the clasp to be detached by a strong pull or jerk upon the cord or chain h, which is fastened to the inner end of each clasp, and passes through the guides o, up in front of the dash-board or through the bottom of the vehicle.

From the above-described construction, it will be seen that in case a horse should attempt to run away, it is only necessary for some one in the vehicle to pull upon the cord, when the clasps will be drawn oi each end of the box, the thills will pull out immediately, and thus the horse he instantly detached from the vehicle, so as to do no damage to either the vehicle or its occupants.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- In combination with the front axle a and the thills of the vehicle, the box b, provided with a cover, c, springs i, clasp g, a cord, It, and guides o, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 20th day of August, 1877.

WILLIAM O. RESPESS. JAMES L. LUMLEY. Witnesses:

G. B. WILLIAMS, W. G. HAMMOND. 

